Vegas Kings Canyon 5 day Sept trip

Husband, sons 17 and 13 and myself arriving from NJ to Vegas 9/14 early a.m., departing 9/19. 13 yr old wants to see redwoods. I would like to see Hoover Dam. Husband and I have been to Yosemite and while would not mind visiting again, wonder if Kings Canyon & Sequoia logistically make any sense. When I tried to plan a route on map do not really see a logical loop. We are pretty open to suggestions. Would like to see a sampling of different locales but do not want to spend 8 hrs a day in the car the whole time. Thanks for any help as there are just so many amazing choices.

Tough one.

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

It's always tough narrowing down things to do and to get the balance right. The Hoover dam is only around an hour or so from Vegas, [depending on starting point] so is of little consequence if you really want to see it. It's an engineering marvel, but given a choice the giant Sequoias/NP's [Redwoods are coastal] would win every time.

You could detour to Hoover dam and make your way on to Sequoia NP via Barstow [115] and perhaps stop around Porterville, Exeter or Three Rivers depending on how long you spend at the dam. [You wouldn't want to do that on the day you arrive though. If you spend part of the first day in Vegas and head to Hoover dam you could stay in Boulder City the night and then go to Three Rivers.

Next day [16th]] drive through and explore Sequoia/Kings canyon NP and spend the night in or out the other side of the park, maybe Oakhurst. Even if you drove across the Sierra Nevada on the Tioga Pass in Yosemite NP on your last visit, you will know it's worth doing again ! I would spend the next day [17th] sight seeing over Tioga and stop the night in Lee Vining or Bishop [for example] and then head back to Vegas via Death Valley on the 18th.

You could opt for the dam to Sequoia NP via Interstate and then come back to Vegas via the Sequoia National forest through Kernville to Lake Isabella and then across Death Valley to Vegas. It's a great drive through the forest but doesn't actually save you much time over the Tioga Pass.

Your other option would be the 'Grand loop' in the opposite direction. From Vegas head to Springdale UT and Zion NP, you could travel there on your arrival day, it's about 3/3.5 hours. Spend the night and explore some more before heading to Bryce Canyon. [Rubys Inn is good] From Bryce head south to the Grand canyon village [South rim] and then back to Vegas via the Hoover dam. Monument valley would be a possible detour and you could stop at the Cameron Trading post to shop [quite interesting] and even spend the night before entering GC along Desert View drive.

Which to choose ? That's for you and the family to decide, as all are wonderful options. If the 'want' to see the 'Trees' outweighs having more time out of the car [GC loop is less miles] I would probably choose the Tioga route. With just 5 days you would have more time to 'smell the roses' with the GC loop. Tough one, I would probably have to toss a coin and put the other on my 'To do' list.

Thanks so much for your input. Anyone I know who has been to Bryce and Zion has urged me to do that this trip instead of Calif. We will have to decide soon, but you have been very helpful no matter which direction we choose!